SCIENTIFIC RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT UNIT To further the Universidad Central del Caribe (UCC) research capabilities and productivity, the Scientific Human Resources Development Unit (SHRDU) was created in the previous cycle of RCMI support to UCC. The Unit was created to be responsible for the professional development and continued education of junior and senior research faculty. In order to achieve the institutional RCMI goals of increasing translational research, the SHRDU will become the Scientific Resources Development Unit (SRDU), with the LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE of making the faculty independent researchers that are no longer dependent on minority earmark funding. The GOAL of the Unit is to increase UCC's capacity to perform world-class research and attract first-rate researchers. The SPECIFIC AIMS of the SRDU for this cycle of support are: 1) Increase the critical mass of researchers at UCC involved in translational research; 2) Increase the number of translational research projects performed at UCC; 3) Provide support to investigators in pre- and post-award management; 4) Increase the number of publications in high-impact peer-reviewed journals; 5) Increase interdisciplinary inter-institutional research collaborations; 6) Increase the Institution's capabilities to obtain non-minority external funding; 7) Increase the amount of funding provided by non-federal sources of funding. Following the recommendation of the External Advisory Committee, our consultant and the assessment of the Unit, the SRDU will achieve its specific aims through five programs: 1) Faculty Recruitment and Retention Program; 2) Translational Research Program; 3) Translational Research Seminar Series; 4) Research Faculty Fellowship Program; and 5) Visiting Scholars Program. The SRDU address two primary problems characteristic of most minority institutions: difficulty in obtaining research support and the extensive administrative and teaching loads that limit research productivity. Funding of this Unit will forward our translational research agenda.